Toyota Japan Halts Operations Due to Recent Cyberattack

TOKYO, Feb 28 – Top car manufacturer Toyota suspended operations at 14 of its Japanese plants after a suspected cyberattack hit one of its major suppliers in the region. Since the breach happened to a third-party supplier, Toyota has declined to comment on the nature of the attack, only stating that the target was Kojima Industries – a company that provides Toyota with plastic parts and electric components. However, Toyota has certainly felt the impact of this attack against Kojima Industries.

Shutting down 14 Japanese plants has affected the production of about ten thousand Toyota vehicles, amounting to 5% of the company’s total monthly output in Japan. Although there are undoubtedly several reasons behind Toyota’s recent drop in valuation, it is also worth noting that Toyota’s stock price has fallen almost 16% since the February shutdown.

In a statement, a Toyota spokesperson said, “We apologize to our customers and suppliers for any inconvenience this may cause. We will continue to work with our suppliers to strengthen the supply chain and make every effort to deliver vehicles to our customers as soon as possible.” The company also went on to say that the attack and subsequent shutdown will have no impact on production in North America.

At the time, the source of the cyberattack is still unclear. However, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has stated that the Japanese government will be investigating to see if Russia was involved, saying, “It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks.”